Foxconn employees to intensify stir against suspension of production

Chennai: To intensify their agitation against suspension of production at the Foxconn India facility at Sriperumbudur near here, the employees have decided to stage a protest in front of the Kancheepuram District Collectorate next week, Union sources said.

Foxconn had placed the 1,600 employees on paid-holiday- leave status from December 22 as its facility located at Nokia Special Economic Zone, Sriperumbudur has completed all its production orders.

"FIH Mobile confirms that employees at our India operation, FIH India Private Limited in Chennai, have been placed on paid-holiday-leave status from December 22 as that facility has completed all of its production orders," the Taiwan-based firm had said in a statement recently.

Following the company's decision to suspend production, employees were up against the move and have been staging protests. Five round of tripartite talks were held between the Assistant Labour Commissioner, management of Foxconn and employee Union, but ended in stalemate.

The sixth round of tripartite talks were held on Friday but there was no sign of reaching an amicable settlement, Foxconn India Employees Union representatives said.

"The management has been maintaining their stand and we have been maintaining our stand. We have decided to stage a rally on January 12, in front of Kancheepuram District Collector's office seeking his intervention to open the plant", Foxconn India Employees Union Honorary President A Sounderrajan told media.

He claimed the company has decided to pay the salaries for the employees for January also. Earlier, the company had said that the employees would receive their pay for December.

Soon after the company decided to suspend production, the Employees Union, backed by the CITU, have been resorting to make a "forced entry stir" at the factory as part of seeking the state government's intervention. Around 200 employees were detained for staging a protest and later released.